Our Travel Essentials

Travel Essentials
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Jenn: Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Travel Mug Podcast. How are you today, Meggan?

Meggan: I'm good. It's a muggy day today, yet I, at the time of recording, it's not late and I have a light on, so I'm very conflicted about this time of year, but I, otherwise, I, I'm doing lovely. What about yourself?

Jenn: I'm doing good, too. Like, summer is going by really, really fast. Like, fall is coming up ever so closer. But I've actually booked my next trip, so I'm very excited to go to Atlanta for a few days in October. I think I'll be there, uh, three full days and then two partial travel days. So, I'm very excited, but that has me thinking about packing, obviously. And so we thought it would be good to share some of our must have travel essentials, things that we always take with us. So Meggan, what is your first travel essential?

Meggan: Yeah, so I'd like to say these aren't sort of in any order of, like, importance. Just wanted to put that out there, so don't think the first thing I say is the very first thing you need to pack, but for me, In the list of things, I'm going to start with a daypack or a small backpack, different from the backpack you may take for carry on. So usually when we are traveling, we aren't just going from place to place, so we don't always have all of our stuff with us. Which I do like, of course. I like having my stuff in a place. But when you do go out in the day to explore, some essentials are necessary. So a day pack or a small backpack is definitely a key for us. So just even for sunscreen, bug spray, depending on time of year, snacks, and water. and yes, it is one thing to take with you. However, like in terms of packing another item to throw in the old suitcase, but it does allow you freedom to have some of the things you need while not needing all of your stuff.

So yes, it takes up a little bit more suitcase room. I'm going to take up that room anyway, let's be honest. So why not have it be a small backpack? That's actually going to be beneficial.

Jenn: Yeah, I agree. We definitely also take it. I wouldn't say a small backpack. Sometimes we take a small like one shoulder type like crossbody bag. Sometimes we take like a regular size backpack depending on where we're going. Depending on where you're going, it's nice to have like raincoats with you or sweater if you're in a place where the temperature is changing drastically or It could rain. So yeah, we always carry, I say we, Ryan usually carries the backpack,

Meggan: Right,

Jenn: but we do need to have stuff with us. So definitely.

Meggan: So what's your not in any order thing that must have essential for you?

Jenn: Yes, a must have essential for me is a portable phone charger. So, we all use our phones so much for everything in life, and especially when traveling. I'm always using Google Maps, like checking out restaurant menus, taking photos. All those things are wasting precious phone battery. And at Disney, it's even worse because I'm on the Disney app all the time, ordering food, checking out the wait times and booking rides, and it's just, yeah, draining the phone batteries. So bringing a portable charger is essential. So if you've never used one, they're really, really easy. Mine is like the size of a A deck of cards but thinner.

It's smaller than my phone And you charge it by plugging it in And then when you're out and about and you need to charge your phone you just use your regular phone Charging cord plug it into the portable charger and then plug that into your phone. So it's still Portable you can still hold it in your hand.

It charges my phone fully I usually get a charge and a bit out of it so we can charge one phone fully and then usually My husband maybe needs to charge his phone a little bit. I can't remember where I got mine. I've had mine for quite a while. But there's a lot of options online in like the 30 to 40 price range, so it's not a huge budget breaker. Of course, there's higher end options out there for more expensive. I also saw that there was solar options, which I thought was really interesting. Like, that would be really good for camping. And I mean, it might even be good for having at home in case the power is out and you could charge it a little bit with solar.

So yeah, multipurpose doesn't have to just be travel.

Meggan: You know, surprisingly, we do not have one of these, I'm gonna just say.

Jenn: Meggan, you should put that on your Christmas wishlist. And Your Chrishmash wish list.

Um,

Meggan: I don't know. I, yeah, I mean, I guess we just charge it nightly and I never think about when we're out and about. I've never came across the problem before but it doesn't mean I won't.

Jenn: Right, yeah. I think my iPhone is, uh, quite old ish now and so the battery life is not what she used to be. And I do particularly come across this at Disney and I'm sure the Disney app is using more battery than like a typical iPhone. day maybe might be when you're traveling, but it's just nice to know that your phone's not going to die, especially if you're using it for directions.

Meggan: Oh, a hundred percent. No, no. I like that. That is a great essential.

Jenn: What is next for you?

Meggan: So next for me is earplugs. So we watch a lot of travel vloggers. So on YouTube and maybe it's for content, but they take buses or trains or stay in hotels and always complain about the noise and the lack of sleep. And I always say annoyingly loudly at the TV, Why don't you just take some earplugs with you? And this has become, for me, a game changer. And I didn't always used to travel with them. Could be my age, you know, as Nana gets up in years. But it has just been in recent years. And I find now when I'm sleeping in strange places, A, we normally sleep with a fan. I am not taking that with me. So now when sleeping in strange places and trying to go to sleep, I do a lot more listening than normal, if that makes sense.

And it is distracting for me for actually falling asleep. There is a phone app that has a fan sound, and we have used that in the past as well. So that's also an option. I am someone, it does take a bit of time to actually fall asleep, maybe a good 15 minutes, but it's even longer when I'm not in my own bed.

So I literally bought those spongy earplugs from the pharmacy. They've been super helpful. They're a small item, obviously not taking up too much space, and I even take them on just weekends away. It does block out the new noises and allows me to fall asleep a lot easier with a lot less distraction. Peter does not sleep with them in and he's a light sleeper, so I also know that if there's a noise or something happens during the night, at least one of us will be alerted to it. So that also gives me comfort and peace as well that I'm not blocking everything out. And being the one who needs to alert people to things.

So that's really good. So earplugs now are a game changer for me. And some people don't find them comfortable and I totally get it. And I'm not saying I find them 100 percent comfortable. But I find sleeping really comfortable. So that's the most important part for me. And they've been, uh, they've been awesome.

Jenn: Interesting. I haven't traveled with earplugs in a very long time. I used to have to when I was a young person traveling with my parents because both of my parents snored very loudly and it was incredibly frustrating to sleep near. But, I don't, I don't really travel with earplugs. I've thought about them because, like, the plane noise.

Meggan: that's what I was actually going to say. So if you want to have like an enjoyable reading session on a plane and there's, or there's just crying children, like they do have multiple uses. I mean, it's not something everyone needs to rush out and buy if those things aren't a problem for you, but they do have multiple uses in multiple settings.

Jenn: Yeah. I mean, they don't take up much space, so maybe I should just get them.

Meggan: thank goodness for me. All right, what's next?

Jenn: So, for me, this one might seem a little bit weird, but I like to travel with a little bit of dish soap.

Meggan: okay, what?

Jenn: I know. So, we typically stay in, like, traditional hotels, typically. So, we don't usually have access to a kitchen. Like, an Airbnb would come, you know, You know, with dish soap, you would hope.

Um, but I always travel with a water bottle, like a reusable water bottle, and I don't want to drink out of the reusable water bottle every day for a week without it being washed. That grosses me out. So, hence, bringing the dish soap. And I don't always remember to bring it. And when I don't bring it, I regret it. So,

Meggan: Sadness ensues.

Jenn: sadness ensues. So, I fill a small travel, like, shampoo type bottle with dish soap. But I actually saw online you can buy, like, mini travel dish soap bottles that are small enough to fit in your carry on liquids bag. Obviously, I'm not the only person that trials dish soap because they make these.

Meggan: That, I am being enlightened on this episode and we normally stay at places that aren't traditional hotels. It's never crossed my mind one time. That is a good one.

Jenn: Yeah, I mean, if you're staying at an Airbnb or renting a cottage or something like that, a condo, you're going to have access to that and that's fine. But When you don't have access to it, um, we've actually taken one, one time when we were going to Disney, it was a very budget trip to Disney and we packed bowls and we bring travel cutlery typically as well to reduce, um, single use plastics.

And we made oatmeal, like we brought packages of oatmeal in the morning, so we made those, and then you just wash them up in your sink in your hotel room, so that's,

yeah,

Meggan: that. I mean, not everybody's out there all the time wanting to spend all of the money. So I think that those, I mean, budget or not, why not save a little bit, especially, especially in this economy.

Jenn: right?

Meggan: All right, good tip. I'm loving what

Jenn: Thank you!

All right, what is next?

Meggan: This one, I think we've talked a bit about before.

However, you and I are both fans of this and it is a first aid slash medications bag. really a small travel pouch essentially filled with whatever medications might come in handy from typical pain meds to upset tummy meds and of course anything you might be prescribed that you take on the regular. I usually put this in my packed luggage and just take some pain meds like ibuprofen on the actual plane with me, uh, or whatever is super necessary. I do have thyroid disease, so I of course have those with me at all times. But I do feel like just a certain level of comfort when traveling knowing I have the basics covered for anything typical that could come up. And no one can plan for everything. I mean, I'm not Nostradamus here. But it is important to have. This for this reason travel medical insurance because we can't plan for everything. So if it's not within your bag and Something happens that travel medical insurance will be key. So being as prepared as possible brings a lot of peace of mind and what ties that in the nice bow is the travel medical insurance.

And the very funniest thing now happened on our last trip is when Peter fell when he was running and his face was cut open in Iceland. I don't know why, but right before we left, I shoved four band aids the front of my medication bag. He just literally poked his head in like, You're talking about me falling. And I put four band aids in the front of my medication bag. And I thought, I don't know why I'll need a band aid, but here we go. Anyway, he comes in holding his face. And then my first thought was band aid.

Jenn: have band aids! Listen, I always travel with band aids. I actually keep band aids in my purse, like at all times. And I don't know if I mentioned this in our disaster day when we were in Scotland, but like the very last thing that happened with our car rental, was Ryan went to put on the parking brake and it was the type of parking brake where it was a button but you had to like hook your finger and pull it up and the metal was like curled and it sliced his finger open and luckily I had band aids already in my bag because we were trying to not let him bleed all over this rental car

Meggan: You were prepared,

Jenn: that was the cherry on top of a terrible rental car day but band aids Saved us from getting blood all over the rental cars.

Meggan: You can't play. You can't plan for everything, but you can plan for some things

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: All right, buddy. What's up next?

Jenn: Alright, what's up next for me is a travel wallet. So this is a new one over the last year. I got this travel wallet because after we got our Nexus cards, I wanted somewhere to keep our passport and our Nexus cards together. Now, that being said, I've never once been asked to show my Nexus card, so I'm not really sure if I need to travel with that.

Um, I understand. So,

Meggan: You earned travel.

Jenn: it's just like, it's, I think it's It's somehow attached to my passport number that, like, when whoever happens with border security they can see that we have Nexus. I think. I'm not sure. Anyway, I still take the card because you never know, right?

Meggan: Right. I would too.

Jenn: So the wallet keeps everything together and it's also long enough that it can keep the boarding passes in there. So I just like that it keeps everything together, I'm not constantly like rooting through my bag looking for our passports and the boarding passes when we need them. And I leave everything in them at home as well so I know where they are and they're together and everything is there so it kind of eliminates that like, what pocket did I put that in?

Because it's in one thing.

Meggan: I mean, because. A human shared experience is the thought at the airport, where did I put my passport? Even though I probably saw it 30 seconds ago, where is it?

Jenn: Yeah, you just have to keep like putting your eyes on it.

Meggan: Yes,

It's I've actually, even in my own home, been like, is my passport where it should be? And then I go look and I'm like, there you are in your cozy little spot. Here you I totally get the travel wallet. That's another good one.

Jenn: Thank you. We got all kinds of ideas today. All right, what is next for you?

Meggan: Next, for me, uh, I'm a comfortable gal, and I love a comfortable broken in shoe.

This one seems basic or like, duh, however, I know there are still people going to Europe and planning for nights out and buying shoes that will likely hurt their feet. A quarter, halfway through the night, on the way to the bar, whatever it is. The great thing, though, about fashion today is that anything goes. We, we see this at the grocery store. And this includes, though, dressy clothes and fashionable sneakers. And I am here for it. I hope it never changes. Honestly, It should always be the case though, dress for you, and if that means really uncomfy shoes to look how you want, of course, you go for it, I'm in no way judging you, but for me, I want to ensure comfortability while traveling, including when heading out in the evenings. One thing I've learned is I will never see these people again. And no one cares what I look like. These are things I'm certain of. So broken in shoes are also key, of course, for adventuring. So even if you buy what you deem as comfortably made literally for hiking shoes, I still implore you to wear them at home first. Go for a walk or a hike nearby. Just really make sure that they are not going to hurt your feet for whatever your vacation plans might include. Because we've all had a pair of shoes we thought were comfortable, but after an hour there's that one spot that's rubbing and you're like, well, that's it for me. And you may not even need new shoes, although of course it's fun, but look at what you already have. So if you have a faithful standby that maybe don't look as nice as you want them to for a vacation. Still just take those like you won't regret the comfort of an already broken in shoe as compared to having Whatever the newest shoe is so like foot comfort is something I can't stress enough.

Jenn: Yes. Yeah. No, do not. I would never take new shoes on vacation. I can't even imagine why I would do that.

Meggan: Nope. Nope. Nope All right. What else you got

Jenn: All right, so next is an extra bag. And this could mean a few different things. It could be like your day bag that we were talking about first. It could be some reusable grocery bags as well. And so this comes in handy. One, When you're getting groceries, if you're in another country and you have an apartment, you have a kitchen, you want to get groceries, a lot of countries are moving away from plastic bags, which is amazing, we love that, but you don't have to keep buying reusable bags all the time.

I mean, I'm sure Like me, you probably have enough at home because you've forgotten them at home as well.

So I bring a few from home. Another time we've used an extra bag was to keep our dirty laundry separate from our clean clothes. And then the other situation is when you shop a bit when traveling. And maybe you have to check an additional bag on the way home.

Which has happened to me twice and one of them was Iceland and it was because I bought a Blanket like a wool blanket, which is large and takes up a lot of space, but no regrets I still love it. And another time was Disney, but I actually bought Another bag, and obviously a bag that like zippers or closes in that situation is better than a grocery bag.

Meggan: Right.

Jenn: both or, uh, one of those options is good to have.

Meggan: No, I like that. And one thing I've never had to do is that situation where I've had to buy an extra bag to bring things home. Again, it's possible in my future, trust me, but it's another thing I've yet to experience. So there you go.

Jenn: There you go.

Meggan: , all right. Last for me, mine's sort of like an, uh, a two parter, which is, very new to our travel repertoire, which is an eSIM. And a VPN. Neither of these take up any room because they're out there in the technology world.

Jenn: Yeah.

Meggan: So I have talked very briefly about using an eSIM for data on my Iceland episode, and I promise we are going to do a Travel Tip Tuesday to share more information on that because it's incredible. But it was our first time using it on that trip.

It worked really great, saved us a ton of money like I mentioned. Now the other item is a VPN. So there are tons of VPNs out there. This is certainly not an ad. Do your research, choose which one works best for you. A VPN on your cell phone, which is where we use it, plus at home, but on our cell phones, allows you to connect to public Wi Fi, such as at a hotel or at a cafe, and you surf more safely, including feeling safe checking your banking information, as an example.

We've talked about how unsafe that can be. We personally use Nord and what we found is that it was way cheaper for us to get a one or two year plan over paying like month by month. , so definitely look into that regarding pricing as well and sort of see what could work best. So it's just essentially an added layer of security where our data and private information are being stolen at an alarming rate by people who sadly have nothing better to do with their time and that don't want to get real jobs to impact society in a positive way. But anyhow, um, I digress, but yeah, the VPN is new for us and I feel so much safer because when we've surfing, , on our phones in Iceland, The VPN told whomever might be looking we're actually in Montreal.

Jenn: Right.

Meggan: So it's really, it really is something that makes me feel more secure when abroad.

Jenn: Yeah. That's a good idea. I've never, used a VPN while traveling. I use one for work, but, uh, interesting.

Meggan: And what's your last

Jenn: All right. My last one, I know Meggan's not going to like this one, but my last one is packing cubes.

Meggan: I mean, girlfriend, live your life.

Jenn: I will. I will live my life. I love my packing cubes. I like that they keep everything separate in my bag.

Do they save space? Maybe. Maybe not. But the best thing for me is I'm not digging for socks at the bottom of my bag. They're in the little pouch with all of the other socks, so I know where to find them. It's my favorite. I started using them, I don't know, probably six ish years ago. I find them more helpful in a backpack type, um, sometimes we've traveled through Europe with, like, hiking backpack so everything's kind of stacked on top of each other and it's really easy to find things that way instead of having to Take every single thing out to get to the bottom. So

Meggan: would be super useful in that situation. I have not traveled like for a long term like that. So I, I mean, I, I could see that. I could be on board with that.

excellent. Well, that is it for this week's episode. Hopefully we have shared some useful information. I've certainly learned things from Jenn here today. So that's exciting. And hopefully we're helping you think ahead on what might be a new travel essential for you when you're getting ready to go out into the world. If you have a must have travel essential that we have missed or that you think we would be interested in, let us know. We'd love to hear from you. You can find us on social media at travel mug podcast. On our website at travelmugpodcast. com you can always support the show by leaving us a review on apple or spotify or buying us a coffee to help keep the lights on the link for that is in the show notes we'd really appreciate it and otherwise just share the show with a travel loving pal and until next time safe travels Bye!